Each of the top prospects available in May has his strengths and weaknesses. How a team builds around these talents will be very important in their maturation as professional quarterbacks. Some teams are better fits for these quarterbacks than others.

In part three of this series, Fresno State’s Derek Carr may not have to travel far from home to find the right fit.

Derek Carr

If the Raiders are going to take the next step as a franchise, the team needs more consistency from its quarterback position. The Raiders’ coaching staff grew frustrated last season by the play of two young quarterbacks.

Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin are completely different players and both fell short. Pryor is tremendously athletic but didn’t work within the structure of the offense. On the other hand, McGloin was a diligent worker and overachiever, but he doesn’t have the physical tools necessary to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

The Raiders need to find a quarterback whose skills fall somewhere between Pryor and McGloin.

The organization traded for Matt Schaub in an attempt solve to solve the problem, but that shouldn’t prevent the Raiders from considering Carr.

Carr is a natural thrower with a strong arm and quick release. He is also a very good athlete. At the NFL combine, Carr ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash, had a 34.5-inch vertical and completed a 4.20-second 20-yard shuttle. Each of those performances were among the top results for any quarterback that participated in the drills.

Concerns regarding Carr’s game stem from poor deep ball accuracy and how he reacts under pressure. Carr’s big arm and release can overcome these things, but they’re areas where his next team will have to worry about and potentially game-plan around.

The Raiders’ offense, for example, is based around quick decisions within a short passing attack. Carr should be able to come in and excel in this scheme. His completion percentage was over 75-percent on passes inside 10 yards.

Also, the Raiders invested heavily in their offensive line during the offseason with acquisitions of Austin Howard and Donald Penn. The team may also consider a selecting one of the top offensive tackle prospects with the fifth overall pick.

Schaub has already been named the Raiders’ starting quarterback, but his acquisition shouldn’t prevent the Raiders from selecting a quarterback with a high draft pick. The team is already believed to have a “massive crush” on Carr.